Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
We are facing a challenging time of confusion and the spread of ignorance, especially during the beloved time of Satan, Iblis. Therefore, it is crucial that we remind each other of his traps and how he deceives us.
The holidays and festivals of other religions present an ideal opportunity for Satan and his army to play with us, diverting us from Islam. They portray our sins as attractive and belittle Allah’s commands and warnings. I pray to Allah to help us in our protection. Ameen!
“Indeed, man is Allah’s most perfect creation and as such, he has been honored with the best favors from the Exalted Allah. The Lord has said: ‘We have certainly created man in the best of stature; We have destined him to travel by land and sea, and provided him with good things, and bestowed upon him his gifts above many of those We created’ (Quran, Surah Al-Isra’, 70); ‘By the fig and the olive, and [by] Mount Sinai, and [by] this secure city [Makkah] – We have certainly created man in the best of stature…’ (Quran, Surah At-Tin, 1-4). Therefore, the Exalted has honored us with the most beautiful creation, endowed us with reason, and enabled us to perform deeds that He, the Exalted, is proud of before the angels. Thus, it is unacceptable for man, especially a believer, to allow Iblis to play with him, to easily deceive him, to intimidate and manipulate him. It is unacceptable for him to kill his will for life, will for worship, will for family, will for good deeds, and will for action… Therefore, O believer, surrender to Allah and do not fear Satan. There is no need to seek various healers because, by your nature and character, you are stronger than Satan. Use the weapon with which the Exalted Allah has taught you and do not fear. With firm determination, guard Allah’s obligations, perform voluntary acts of worship, observe the night prayer, and constantly remember Allah, and Satan will depart from you in humiliation. Because Satan is like a barking dog in fear, but when he sees that man does not fear him, he flees from him. But if man shows fear, then he attacks him more persistently. Show Satan that Allah is your true support, constantly invoke Allah and seek refuge in Him, for ‘Indeed, those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.’ (Quran, Surah Al-Ankabut, 69).
Yes, the Exalted Allah confirms to us that He has granted Satan certain advantages regarding his position relative to man. He has allowed him to see us from where we cannot see him, to circulate through our bodies like blood, and allowed him to thoroughly examine our father Adam when Allah created him in Paradise. The Exalted says: ‘He sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.’ (Quran, Surah Al-A’raf, 27). Imam Muslim and Ahmed record from Enes, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Indeed, Satan circulates through the body of man (son of Adam) as blood circulates.’ Imam Muslim and Ahmed record from Enes ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘After the Exalted Allah shaped Adam in Paradise, He left him, as long as Allah wanted to leave him, so Iblis began to circulate and examine him. And when he saw that he was empty (hollow), he realized that this was a creature that could not be restrained.’ These are just some of the many possibilities Allah has given to Satan. However, despite this, our position relative to him and our advantage over him is unquestionable and undeniable. For Allah has promised that Satan cannot overpower those who fear Allah, but he overpowers those who take Satan as a friend: ‘And when you recite the Quran, seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].’ Indeed, he has no authority over those who have believed and rely upon their Lord. His authority is only over those who take him as an ally and those who through him associate others with Allah.’ (Quran, Surah An-Nahl, 98-100).
A great battle is waged around our hearts between the angels and Satan. With every good deed, we help the armies of angels and weaken the armies of Satan, and with every evil deed and disobedience to Allah, we strengthen the position of the armies of Satan and weaken the position of the armies of angels. Therefore, our role is extremely sensitive, significant, and above all, decisive. With Allah’s help, we can hold the reins in our hands and decisively defeat Satan and his armies… And Allah is the best of helpers! It is also significant that a servant tries to discern the boundary between Satan’s seduction and the desires of his soul. It happens that a man attributes a problem to Satan, when in fact the problem lies within his own self. Of course, Satan uses this for his plots and deceptions. Perhaps one of the simplest ways to discern this difference is to understand that Satan wants us to be disobedient to Allah in all spheres of our lives and every atom of our being, while this is not the case with our soul, which seeks perseverance only in its desires. Therefore, when a man sees that he is enslaved in certain segments to the Exalted Allah, but he cannot overcome certain temptations, then let him deal with his soul and tame it, for by doing so, he will close the passage to Satan and minimize his plots. Indeed, one of the greatest evils that man faces is when the soul submits to desires. Imam Ibnul-Kajjim, may Allah have mercy on him, used to say: ‘People in this world suffer as much as they are obsessed with it.’ And he used to say: ‘Whoever falls in love with the world looks at his position with that slave, then he humiliates, subdues, and enslaves him. But whoever turns away from the world looks at the greatness of that slave’s position, so he submits to him and puts him in his service.’ And now, let us return to Imam Ibnul-Kajjim, may Allah have mercy on him, and his advice on the ten shields by which we guard ourselves against Satan.
The first shield: Seek refuge in Allah, the Exalted, from Satan. The Exalted says: ‘And when Satan brings you forth with evil, seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.’ (Quran, Surah Fussilat, 36) And elsewhere He says: ‘And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.’ (Quran, Surah Al-A’raf, 200) The phrase ‘hearing (as-sama`) in these verses means answering, not general hearing. Imam El-Buhari records in his Sahih from Adi ibn Sabit, who narrates from Suleiman ibn Sured, who said: ‘I sat with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and two men quarreled, and one of them turned red, and his veins bulged. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘I know a word that, if he were to say it, what he feels would leave him. If he had said: “I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the expelled,” what he feels would leave him.’ The second shield: Reciting Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas. These chapters have a remarkable impact when seeking refuge in Allah from the evil of Satan, expelling evil, and establishing protection from him. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: ‘Those who seek refuge cannot seek it with anything better than these two chapters.’ (Recorded by Imam Ahmed and An-Nasa’i) The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, himself used to recite these two chapters every night before going to sleep, and he ordered Ukbi – as recorded by Imam At-Tirmidhi – to recite them after each prayer. The third shield: Reciting Ayatul-Kursi. Imam El-Buhari records from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: ‘Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, appointed me to keep the Sadaqah which was collected in Ramadan. Then a person came and began taking handfuls of foodstuff. I apprehended him and said, ‘By Allah, I will take you to Allah’s Messenger!’ He said, ‘Whatever you say, will not take me away from what I intend.’ Then I released him, and in the morning Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do yesterday?’ I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! He complained of hunger and took foodstuff without your permission.’ He said, ‘I found him to be a liar and he will come again.’ Then I apprehended him for the second time and said, ‘I will take you to Allah’s Messenger!’ He said, ‘Whatever you say, will not take me away from what I intend.’ So I let him go, and in the morning Allah’s Messenger asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do last night?’ I replied, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! He complained of hunger and took foodstuff without your permission.’ He said, ‘I find him to be a